Experiment with
Goof-Around
Writing
When you go to a formal
gathering such as a
wedding, you probably
aren’t allowed to dress in a
T-shirt, jeans, and sandals.
If your parents are like a lot
of parents, you have to
wear a clean shirt, a nice
pair of pants, maybe a
dress (if you’re a girl) or a
tie (if you’re a boy).
Yet, when you get home,
your mom or dad will
probably want you to
change out of your “dress
up” clothes and change into
your “play clothes” before
you go outside to play.
Maybe school writing
sometimes feels like
wearing “dress up” clothes.
But think of notebook
writing as changing into
your comfortable play
clothes.
Now you can relax, be
yourself, and get rough and
tumble if you want.
You can even get a little
wild and silly when you
write.
Let’s hear Ralph Fletcher
talk about “goof-around
writing”:
We call this
“goof-around writing”
and it’s one of the fun ways
to use a writer’s notebook.
Now, let’s look at a piece
th
written by Ryan, a 5
grader:
My Nickle Philip
I have a nickle named Philip.
Philip has a blue head, eyes and a mouth.
Oh I almost forgot Philip is a boy nickle.
I made him out of paper and a nickle then
decorated him. I also made a bed for Philip
so he can sleep. Philip’s favorite number is 5
because he is made out of a nickle. Philip’s
birthday is September 20th. I school him at
home so he learns things. I hope to have
Philip
for a really long time.
My Nickle Philip

Ryan chose to
write about an
odd, funny
topic: his
nickel Philip.

He does a nice
job, and it
seems he
enjoyed
writing it.
I have a nickle named Philip.
Philip has a blue head, eyes and a mouth.
Oh I almost forgot Philip is a boy nickle.
I made him out of paper and a nickle then
decorated him. I also made a bed for
Philip
so he can sleep. Philip’s favorite number
is 5
because he is made out of a nickle.
Philip’s
birthday is September 20th. I school him
at
home so he learns things. I hope to have
Philip
for a really long time.
How about this one by Alex,
th
a 6 grader:
The Morning Filled with Fog
It was a foggy morning.
Couldn’t even see my neighbors.
Looking through the moist air.
Hair not full of static, not sticking up.
Legs shaking like I was doing a dance.
Forgot a coat. Wish I didn’t.
Bus coming.
Getting happy.
Loud but warm.
Get into my seat right by the heater.
Stopped doing the dance.

What do you
notice about this
entry in Alex’s
notebook?
The Morning Filled with Fog
It was a foggy morning.
Couldn’t even see my neighbors.
Looking through the moist air.
Hair not full of static, not sticking up.
Legs shaking like I was doing a dance.
Forgot a coat. Wish I didn’t.
Bus coming.
Getting happy.
Loud but warm.
Get into my seat right by the heater.
Stopped doing the dance.

With Alex’s
notebook entry, it
wasn’t so much
WHAT he wrote
about as HOW he
wrote it.

He breaks the
rules and uses
short sentence
fragments.
The Morning Filled with Fog
It was a foggy morning.
Couldn’t even see my neighbors.
Looking through the moist air.
Hair not full of static, not sticking up.
Legs shaking like I was doing a dance.
Forgot a coat. Wish I didn’t.
Bus coming.
Getting happy.
Loud but warm.
Get into my seat right by the heater.
Stopped doing the dance.
I invite you to try some
goof-around writing in your
notebook.
Try out ridiculous ideas,
weird story plots, and
poems with made up
words.
What you write may never
be published or even read
by anyone else. But it’s
fun. And who knows,
something might come out
of it that you didn’t expect!